What Could've Been
by Ciara Wynne
Summary: Imagine how her life could've changed if she didn't like the way her family lived. Imagine if she hadn't been mean to Cosette. Imagine if she decided if she wanted a better life for her and her brother... and had run?


**I love Les Miserables. Otherwise I wouldn't be here, posting a story. Éponine/Enjolras is my favourite couple that never was, and I'm modelling the characters on the 2013 movie, as well as some from the book. Samantha Barks is one of my idols. I knew her from I'd Do Anything, a british talent show to find an actress for the Westend production of Oliver. She came 3rd. Look at where she is now. **

**But enough about my idols. Hope you enjoy!**

**Peace,**

**Ciara xxx**

It started when the nice man came, Éponine decided.

It just happened, one day, when Éponine was playing with Gavroche in the inn. Azelma was most likely with one of their parents, learning the ways of conmen and thugs. Of course, Éponine had already learnt these tricks, but felt her stomach twist with guilt every time she pick-pocketed a customer for her father. Azelma, however, loved it.

Across the room, a little girl with tangled blonde hair swept the floor with a battered broom. Éponine caught the girl's eye, and gave her a nervous smile. The girl smiled back, but both made sure to duck their heads as Etienne Thénardier stumbled drunkenly down the stairs, absent-mindedly patting Éponine and Gavroche a little too roughly on the head. Then, her mother, Maryl, made the small child go out into the winter night to fetch water. Éponine looked after her pitifully, losing sight of her in the crowd of drunks.

It wasn't that she did not like Cosette- truly, the girl was a lovely, innocent soul, and had the makings of a best friend and sister- but Éponine was too afraid to upset her parents to do anything. She would bring the blonde child the half of her dinner she'd managed to scrape from her plate into her pinafore as often as she could, but that was the limit before she feared her parents would suspect something.

The last customers were just leaving when Éponine saw them.

He walked proudly, head up, shoulders back, but not arrogantly so. He held Cosette's tiny hand gently in his own, the large pail in the other. From what Éponine could see, this man was not young, but he seemed strong, kind, and seemed to act every bit the father to Cosette that Éponine wished her own father would to her.

Azelma saw them as well. "Maman, Papa!" she exclaimed, pulling on Maryl's skirt.

Both of the adults' heads snapped to the door where the man stood. Éponine peeked out from behind a pillar, a four year old Gavroche clutching her skirts like Azelma did to their mother.

She couldn't believe her ears. The nice man wanted to take Cosette away. Her mother (Éponine remembered her from the rare times she visited- she had been very beautiful) had passed away and had made the nice man promise to take Cosette into her care. Of course, Monsieur and Madame Thénardier weren't going to let her go without a good price. Eventually, the nice man offered them 1500 francs- more money than her parents had ever made in seven nights in a row. Cosette ran and got her little rag doll, and walked out of the door with the nice man. Just before she left, she saw Éponine and Gavroche, and she smiled.  
Then she was gone.

* * *

A week.

That's how long it took for their parents to use up the 1500 francs, the inn profit, rent, and any spare change.

Though only twelve years old, Éponine knew what this meant for them. And she wanted no part in it.

So, in the middle of the night, she put some stale food and some sous she found under the bed into a bag, picked up her little brother, and fled.

She had to steal. She was ashamed of it, but she had to. How else was she to keep her and her brother alive? She also stole breeches, boots, a shirt, a large jacket, and a cap. She kept her dress for when she had to play the pitiful little girl, abandoned and in need of money. Otherwise, being a boy suited her just fine.

Gavroche caught onto the pick-pocketing and such quite quickly. Éponine even showed him, when he was a little older, how to throw a punch. They had their own system when it came to stealing from market stalls- she would talk to the person behind the stall (it worked even better when she was older, and the seller had left their sons to man the business for an hour or so) while Gavroche would crawl under and snatch a few apples, bread loaves, whatever. They were a team. Somehow, within their first year on their own, they made it to Paris. They became well-known in the slums. They soon earned respect. It took a few months, but they earned it. Then she met Marius.

* * *

Four sous was all she'd gotten. Out of an entire morning of stealing, all Éponine had gotten was four sous. This would never be enough for even the smallest bread roll. Gavroche had caught the cold- nothing they hadn't seen before, but she'd ordered the five year old to stay home, while she went to get breakfast. They hadn't eaten since noon the day before, and she'd be damned if she went back empty-handed.

With a sigh of frustration, she let her back hit the wall of the building she stood by, and sank to the ground. Seeing she was outgrowing her dress again, she made a mental not to look out for some left-out washing that night.

Suddenly, she was aware of a pair of nicely polished shoes at the edge of her vision. And then a voice said, "mademoiselle?"

She looked up into a pair of blue eyes. "Oui, monsieur?" she said timidly. She wasn't sure why she felt so shy; she was bolder with everyone else.

CHe ran a hand through his light brown hair. "I've seen you here every day. Have you lost your parents?"

She frowned. "No. I left them a long time ago."

"Oh. Well, you seemed hungry..." And at that, he brought out bread. An entire loaf of bread. And he was holding it out to her.

"You- you're giving me this?" she stuttered.

"Of course! Please, take it- mother doesn't know I took money for two loaves."

She stared at him for a minute. Then took the bread from his hands. It was hot to the touch. She squealed with happiness and jumped up. "Merci, monsieur, merci beaucoup!"

He smiled a brilliant smile. "I'm happy for you. Enjoy it."

From that moment, she was hooked.

Thanking him again and again, she ran off, towards home, wanting to give Gavroche breakfast and tell him about the nice boy with the blue eyes.


End file.
